As of today, I’ve written seven opinion articles for the Skiff this semester. I’ve bashed old politicians and criticized rap music. I’ve longed for Western films and pulled my hair out over technology. Some of the articles I’ve written have been good and some could have used more work. In any case, all are representations of myself via my humble opinions.For the fall semester, I encourage each and every person at TCU, be they staff, faculty or student, to take the time and write to the Skiff.

It’s easy, it’s fun and entirely painless. You don’t even have to be a journalism student to do it; all you need is an opinion and the ability to back it up logically.

But the Skiff opinion page isn’t a soapbox; it’s a forum. It’s a page for debate where, provided there is participation, we can all exchange ideas. We don’t have to agree nor do we have to disagree, but at least we can appreciate an idea that isn’t our own.

I don’t write opinion pieces because I want people to know what I think. As cheesy as it sounds, I write these articles because I want to know what you think. I put my opinion on paper with the hope that someone will read it and find themselves motivated enough to write back; I offer my opinion so that maybe, just maybe, somebody can offer a valid argument for or against what I think.

Our varied opinions and beliefs are what make us all different and interesting. You can learn a lot about a person simply by what they think.

Even if you don’t like what someone has to say in the Skiff, you can simply turn the page. But, on the off-chance that you really don’t agree with what someone says, you’ll be motivated to write to us.

I love to argue. I love to be proven wrong, but more so, I love to prove others wrong.

Over the weekend, a fellow reporter and I managed to scream at each other about religion, sex, politics and Star Wars, all in under an hour. I loved every minute of it. I’m fairly sure we didn’t find any common ground, but at least we gave it a shot.

My point is this: the opinion page is yours to make.

Criticism, when supported by logic, allows us to explore different points of views.

Winston Churchill, prime minister of the United Kingdom during World War II, sums up criticism more eloquently than I can: “Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.”

John-Laurent Tronche is a senior news-editorial major from Fort Worth.